Dear Mama

Dear Mama,

It’s 3 am. Your husband is snoring (loudly), and your new baby is screaming (also loudly). Isn’t it funny how our husbands are somehow able to sleep through everything? One day, I’ll discover their secret and make 1 million dollars! Anyway, it’s the middle of the night, your baby is most certainly not sleeping through the night, and you are totally drained — on the verge of crying, or maybe already crying, perhaps. You think to yourself, “Why am I so alone?”

It’s the middle of that first winter at home with baby. Chicago winters are particularly rough. You’re in a 3rd floor walkup, the baby is just heavy enough that between carrying her and the carseat up all of those stairs, you might as well be running a marathon with the amount of sweat that perspires from your body by the time everything is said and done. So you stay at home. From 7 am until 6 pm, when your husband comes home from work. And the second he walks in the door you want to talk to him because you’ve had no other adult contact today, and you can’t stop singing Mother Goose Club, but he just needs a breather so he goes to the “bathroom”. And you think, “Why am I so alone?”

You’re in the baby’s nursery attached to a Spectra s2 breast pump being milked like a cow, sweating from hormones, not comfortable cause it’s milking time, and overtired because, well, babies. You can hear big sister toddler getting into trouble in the other room, but you only need to pump for another 5 minutes…5 minutes is an eternity in the world of rampant toddlers. You stop the session early, only to spill the glorious 4 oz of liquid gold you just produced from your temple of a body. Tears. They are very real. And you think, or maybe say aloud at this point, “Why am I so alone?”

Mama, have you been there? Have you spilled your full iced latte in the parking lot of work and shouted to the Heavens “Why me?!” I’m sure you’ve also lost your temper at your potty-training, button-pushing toddler. I’m sure you’ve also had those days where you are a total super mom; a day where everyone is happy, fed, bathed, not-constipated and bump and bruise-free.

I know the world of parenthood is cyclical. And I know that sometimes it can feel like you’re a tiny hamster running all alone on that wheel, not getting anywhere. And even when you finally feel the wheel slowing down, like you’ve almost got a handle on things, life happens, and you’re back to figuring it out all over again.

Have you ever just needed a Girl’s Night Out? Me too. So badly. Let me be your girl’s night out. Let me be that friend you confide in when times are tough. Let me be that girlfriend who you turn to for advice. I may not have all the answers, but I’m in the thick of motherhood, and I’ve seen it all (almost). Let’s laugh together, share stories, clean up poop together, be there — through the thick and thin. In order to survive, and thrive, in this world of mommy hood, we need a Tribe. And I want to be a part of yours.

Who is this chick?

But before you trust me to buy you a drink, let me introduce myself. For those of you who are new here, my name’s Alyssa, and I’m the mommy behind A Glass of Goldwater. We have a super awesome community we’ve made over on Instagram, and I’d love for you to follow along there too — it’s where we can chat and swap war stories day-to-day. I’m married to my husband Adam, and we have two toddlers, a girl, Miri (2), and a boy, Azi (1), who are 12 months apart. Yes, our lives are a bit crazy, but we’ve sort of found our groove, and we’re just floating along the water, taking whatever waves come our way. A few of my favorite things include: Target, Diet Coke, Iced Lattes, strawberries, cotton candy grapes and Homegoods. I also am a big fan of all things preppy and rustic-chic — picture me in an Adirondack chair on a huge, green lawn on Martha’s Vineyard with a drink in hand…that’s my ideal. We call Chicago, IL home, but I’m a southern girl at heart, originally from Louisville, KY. I’m also an Indiana Hoosier and a Sigma Delta Tau sister for life. Visit my About Me page for a bit more of the inside scoop.

 

So, what do you think? I’m ready to order the first round of drinks, and I hope you’ll be at the table with me. Cheers to the next step on our journey together!

Love,

Alyssa xo

 

Photo Credit: Ariel Ross of REL Productions, the wonderful photographer who was able to capture some beautiful moments of our family, amidst all the crazy.